Ladies, on the 12th day of Women’s Month I want to have a difficult conversation with you. As a body transformation coach, I unfortunately often hear excuses that clients are “not ready”, or that clients need to “put this journey on hold temporarily for other priorities” or that clients “don’t have time” or that clients “love food too much”.

The truth is, living a healthier lifestyle does not require you to give up food, or having fun or the important people in your life. In fact, it will only prolong your enjoyment of those very important aspects of your life. You are really just sabotaging your own success by hiding behind these excuses. Perhaps you are not aware of the consequences of neglecting your health and fitness?

Today I want to ask you: When will you “be ready” to make your health and fitness a priority?

After you have had a stroke and lost the ability to communicate or use your limbs properly?

After you have had a heart attack and a bypass operation and you are no longer able to participate in certain enjoyable activities?

After you become diabetic and lose blood circulation to your extremities and have to live on medications?

After you are diagnosed with high blood pressure or high cholesterol and have to go on permanent, life changing medications?

Please don’t wait until it is too late! Here are 5 tips to get you started on this most important journey so that you can live a healthy, high quality life:

1. “Someday” never comes, don’t ever use it in your planning.

Since ‘someday’ never appears on the calendar, you’ll never accomplish your goals if you keep putting them off. The best of intentions won’t do you any good without a clear plan. Never use this word or any other vague words like “I will get around to it”. You know you won’t.

Set a date and stick to it. Even better – Start right now.

2. Waiting until you ‘feel’ ready.

Don’t base your behaviour on feelings. Your feelings will not change without something to trigger them to change. Change your behaviour (what you do) and it is likely that your emotions (what you feel) will change in time as well.

3. Tough times don’t last, tough people do.

There will be difficult days. Don’t fear hard days so much that you never start your health and fitness journey! Plan what you will do to stay motivated and on track when bad times happen. Prepare in advance how you will overcome the hard days and stick to your plan when it happens. If you are prepared, chances are you will handle it better when it happens. People will help you and you will overcome the hard days.

4. A mistake is not a failure. Giving up because of a mistake, is.

Don’t fear failure so much that you never start your health and fitness journey. If you make a mistake, you can simply go back to the plan as soon as you realise you have gone off track. It is not the end of the world or the end of your journey. You can start over every day, or even several times a day, until you get it right. Mistakes are opportunities to learn and move forward.

5. Not making your health and fitness a priority.

You have to decide what kind of priority you’re going to give your health and fitness. How important is it for you to live a life in which you are not hampered by medications and physical difficulties that could have been avoided by healthy nutrition and exercise? How important is it to have a healthy body that can participate in all the fun activities you want to do with your loved ones? How important is it to you to be productive and successful in a body that helps you, and does not hinder you?

Please prioritise the health of your precious body! Your body and your health can not be replaced once you have lost them.

As always, if you do need help with journey please visit my my website or send me an e-mail. My passion is to help you live your best life in a healthy body!